Thursday, November 24, 2005

The BBC and Chinese bloggers / Big Red Bus

I find this article on the Beeb's Weblog Watch to be very interesting. Apparently there are a number of Chinese bloggers who are fed up with the BBC's aggressive approach to interviewing to the point of canceling interviews(!). Another source of anger among some Chinese bloggers is the BBC are always onto the issue of freedom of speech in China.

One of the weblog quoted (with many mistakes) a recent Beeb interview and claimed that such aggressive and repeated questioning as unacceptable.

Excuse me while I laugh out loud. Not only did the blogger in question got some facts wrong but he failed to grasp the true nature of why many British journalists (especially Paxo) act they way they act. This is purely because politicians love to dodge questions. And nobody dodge questions better than senior British politicians (especially in this age of perfecting the art of spin).

Next time switch on the telly and watch a newsreader questioning a politician. Then watch the politician as he or she attempts to side step the question by playing the "before I answer the question, I would like to...". There are reasons why programmes like Newsnight and HARDtalk exist.

Isn't that the whole point of interviews? To get the truth out? Those Chinese bloggers got it lucky anyway. Imagine if Paxo interviewed them (like he would care). I can only hope, can I? But seriously, I am more inclined to believe that the reason why some Chinese bloggers are opposed to questions on freedom of speech is probably just to protect their blogging 'career'.

Blind patriotism.

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After ITV's The Tube series, a new series on London bus drivers started today on BBC One. Big Red Bus explored on what it takes to be a driver on London's famous red buses.

The first episode features some rather nasty unpleasantness. Terry has to deal with a bunch of kids who attempted to set alight a fire bomb. And CCTV footages revealed a bunch of teenagers who escaped the driver's wrath by fleeing through the upper deck's back window!

We also witnessed Mia who passed the first test en route to becoming a bus driver. More next week.